Is it possible to write about karate politics without talking about karate politics?

The stories that are never told.

To say it would be a minefield would be an understatement. Nobody in their right mind would want to engage in such a project. What’s said in hushed corners is never meant to be published or ‘made official’.

When stuff does appear it usually cuts two ways; the first being when it’s trumpeted from the rooftops by political operators who have a point to make, an action to justify, or just to validate themselves. And the second falls into the category of ‘dirty laundry’ which, as we know, should never be aired in public. Neither of which are particularly edifying or savoury sights.

No self-respecting or prudent author would publish such stuff.

In off-the-record conversations scholars often say, ‘Ooh, I had so much more information, but I wouldn’t dare put it in print’. That’s a pity really… but I don’t say that because I enjoy salacious gossip; more because very often the same information which casts light into dark corners, also illuminates the true nature of the human condition. There is something to be said for that. You only have to think of Shakespeare’s towering reputation, which rests on that very same focus.

This is sometimes found when someone writes a truly honest autobiography, owning up to their human errors and just laying it out there. Often this causes the reader to warm to the author, they can see themselves reflected in the narrative. Much more so than one that is centred in self-aggrandisement, or transparent and weak justifications for what is obviously just bad behaviour.¹

The legal considerations.

Practically speaking, this is the biggest deterrent to going public on anything political. If you darken someone’s name or libel and slander them, in the eyes of the law they, or their family members, can take you to court. Nobody wants to go down that path. It’s messy for all concerned.

The human considerations.

‘If you got nothing nice to say, say nothing at all’ works at one level, but doesn’t work if you are a whistleblowing journalist operating under an oppressive regime – but that comes at a price, example; the recent arrest of journalist Evan Gershkovich in Russia.

Connected to this, another quote, “For evil to triumph all it takes is for good men to do nothing”.

“So much depends on reputation – guard it with your life”.²

Then there’s ‘Don’t speak ill of the dead’, another problematic saying, as it depends how heinous the particular departed was, it surely wouldn’t apply to Ted Bundy or Adolf Eichmann?

Bruce Lee.

Bruce Lee’s legacy and reputation is a good example. Although clearly he was a movie star AND a martial artist, but even though he died way back in 1973 people have not been shy in playing loose and fast with his reputation; not necessarily as an actor or digging dirt on his personal life, but mostly on him as a martial artist and his human qualities.

The most recent upset has been Tarantino’s choice of portraying Lee as an arrogant bully in the movie ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’. The Bruce Lee estate have been vocal in their condemnation of this part of the movie.

But before that, Bruce Thomas’s 1994 biography of Bruce Lee, ‘Fighting Spirit’ contained sections that were less than complementary, particularly relating to his raw ambition and arrogance, as well as his real ability as a martial artist. It’s worth a read.

Karate politics.

Although aspects of karate politics are considered taboo, the wider political issues are not without their value.

Things that have happened in the past can act as cautionary tales. Those of us who have lived through political upheaval either within karate organisations or wider national politics might find ourselves wondering ‘why did we not see that coming? The signs were always there’. What is it they say, “Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it”.

We all know, it is the nature of things that over time they change, but, why does that change always have to mean decay or decline? Well maybe it’s because our survival programming tells us to only notice when things are beginning to fall apart around our ears; but fail to acknowledge when radical change occurs that actually improves our situation. (I am playing the optimist here).

Bad guys and good guys.

The swirl of gossip around politics in karate seldom concerns itself with structural issues; it tends to be about personalities, egos, bad actors and the subject that most families fall out about… money.

The toughest position in the whole karate political hierarchy is the person at the very top. This is quite a fragile role to take. It can be made worse if the person at the apex of the pile has no ability to self-regulate, or lacks the self-awareness necessary for checks and balances to operate. If they surround themselves by ‘yes men’ and have no ‘critical friend’ to whisper in their ear, then trouble is bound to ensue.

There is an apt saying that can apply when things are turning toxic with the top man; “The higher the monkey climbs the tree, the more of its ar*e you see”.

You have to hope that you never find yourself in a scenario like that.

Political methods.

I am convinced that some of the political troubles experienced in Japanese-based martial arts groups in Europe and the west come out of cultural differences.

The ways of doing business in Japan and the west do not always line up, despite them all reading the same business manuals. This has been going on for ever, right back to the days when Japanese envoys visited the west to study European and American business models.

It is always interesting to observe in martial arts structures what happens when committees, panels or working parties are set up; these very western ways of doing things (like democracy) always find themselves chaffing against traditional oriental ideas and struggle to work as they are meant to. If you are lucky, you find yourself operating under a benign dictatorship. If you are unlucky the person on the top could be a myopic despot, if so, you’d better get your parachute ready.

Conclusion.

I know there are people who gleefully rub their hands together when there are squabbles in the sandpit, or who enjoy nothing more than a juicy piece of gossip, that’s one of the unfortunate aspects of human nature.

And then there are the bystanders, the ones who sit back and observe, but secretly just want to bang heads together. They are noticeable only by their silence.

But, if looked at objectively, like an anthropologist observing a remote tribe, these occurrences shine a light on human weakness. I think that this is the truth that sits behind the story from Genesis of the Tower of Babel; there is no doubt we have the ability to build, but it is our very human arrogance that sabotages the project just as it is beginning to get somewhere.

This same weakness is written all over world politics at the moment.

But I am also certain that it exists in all forms of human ‘niche’ activities. It amuses me to wonder if the same kinds of squabbles, acts of self-destruction and rampant egos happen in the world of flyfishing, Morris dancing, metal detecting, Zumba classes, Crown Green Bowling, train spotting, Cosplay, Lawn Tennis Associations, etc. etc. I am pretty sure they do.

But if we allow the anthropologist in us to come to the fore, the one who can remain objective and non-judgemental, then maybe there is a calm, compassionate and very human way of looking at politics in martial arts and other human spheres? But I won’t hold my breath.

Photo by Thiébaud Faix on Unsplash

1. I can think of some particular examples of autobiographies I have both enjoyed and suffered; for honesty, top marks go to jazz musician Art Pepper’s autobiography, ‘Straight Life’, shocking and sad but very human. At the other end of the scale, for self-justification and posturing the truly awful Sting autobiography, ‘Broken Music: A Memoir’. A martial arts (karate) autobiography that was similar for me as the ‘Sting’ experience is Dave Hazard’s ‘Born Fighter’, I could not get on with that book; maybe he was badly advised?

2. Quote from Robert Greene’s book, ‘The 48 Laws of Power’, (Law No. 5).